Dr. James Andrews calls Robert Griffin III 'superhuman'

Mar. 23, 2013
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Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III walks off the field after losing the NFC wild card playoff game against Seattle. He also injured his knee and had to have surgery. On Saturday, orthopedist James Andrews called Griffin "superhuman" in his recovery. / Daniel Shirey, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

While Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan is putting up a caution flag when it comes to the recovery of Robert Griffin III, the quarterback's doctor has no such qualms.

James Andrews, the noted orthopedic surgeon who operated on Griffin's two torn knee ligaments in January, calls Griffin "superhuman" in an interview with ESPN.

"He wants his recovery to be fairly private, but I can tell you he's way ahead of schedule. His recovery has been unbelievable so far," Andrews told ESPN.

"RGIII is one those superhumans. First patient I ever had like that was Bo Jackson. And recently I, of course, had Adrian Peterson, who is also superhuman. They have an unbelievable ability to recover, whereas a normal human being may not be able to recover."

Both Shanahan and Griffin have cautioned against expecting him back for Week 1, with Shanahan most recently speaking on the topic during this past week's owners meetings.

"For me to tell you anything at this time is kind of ludicrous," he said.

Griffin first hurt his knee in a December game against the Baltimore Ravens. He aggravated the injury when he fell early in a 24-14 loss to Seattle in the playoffs. Though he stayed in the game, he was clearly limited and questions were raised about whether Shanahan should have allowed him to stay in.